The Best Antivirus Software of 2024

1. TotalAV Antivirus - The Best Antivirus Software for Malware Protection

SecurityScore:

9.7 /10

View Packages Links to TotalAV Antivirus

How We Review

Product Specs

Virus Detection	Yes
Malware Detection	Yes
Firewall	No
On-demand Scanning	Yes
On-access Scanning	Yes
Behavior-based monitoring	Yes

View Packages Links to TotalAV Antivirus

All-Around Digital Security Protection

If you’ve never used antivirus software before, TotalAV is a good product to start with. All we had to do was hit Smart Scan, and it began searching for malware, programs that could compromise our security, and apps on our hard drives that use too many resources. It even looked for system junk and unnecessary files.

>> Learn More: Review of the Total VPN by TotalAV

TotalAV even has a VPN, but let’s focus on its ability to detect malware. To compare apples to apples, we performed a malware scan test on all the options we tested. We hid a malware test file in several places and clicked Scan to see how many each software can spot. Impressively, TotalAV detected them all, even the ones we hid seven folders deep and the one we put in a compressed folder. We thought we hid them well, but as it turned out, detecting malware is child’s play for TotalAV.

We hate having to scan our computers manually – a sentiment we’re sure many computer users share. Here’s something else we learned about Total AV: It has real-time protection. If you turn that on, it will scan every folder, file, and application you run for malware automatically. Combine that with its impressive ability to detect malware and you get an antivirus deserving of the top spot.

2. Surfshark Antivirus - The Best Antivirus Software For Digital Security

SecurityScore:

8.9 /10

View Plans Links to Surfshark Antivirus

How We Review

Product Specs

Virus Detection	Yes
Malware Detection	Yes
Firewall	No
On-demand Scanning	Yes
On-access Scanning	Yes
Behavior-based monitoring	Yes

View Plans Links to Surfshark Antivirus

All-In-One Cybersecurity Toolkit

Surfshark is one of the fastest-growing companies in the digital security space. It started out as a VPN, but later offered antivirus software packaged into the Surfshark One bundle. There’s just one problem – if you want to use the antivirus software, you have to buy a VPN subscription as well. It’s a package deal. The good news is that it’s inexpensive. The cheapest option costs just $69.72 for two years, and aside from the VPN and antivirus software, you also get ad blocking, cookie pop-up blocker, and an online alias generator to improve your online privacy. Another option is Surfshark One+, which throws in Incogni (a data removal service) for $119.70 for two years.

But how well does Surfshark’s antivirus work? It scored four out of five in our malware scan test, failing to detect the test file in the compressed .zip folder. That’s still very impressive. However, we’d have to say that it lacks some crucial features we often see in more established antivirus brands. Surfshark doesn’t have a firewall, for example. It also didn’t have real-time protection when it started, but it does now. So we think it’s only a matter of time before Surfshark becomes as well-rounded as our top pick, TotalAV.

By and large, we picked Surfshark because it doesn’t offer just malware protection. It’s an entire toolkit of useful cybersecurity tools that include a VPN, antivirus software, ad and tracker blocker, online data protection, and more.

>> Related: Surfshark VPN review

3. Norton Antivirus - The Best Cross-Platform Antivirus Software

SecurityScore:

9.5 /10

View Plans Links to Norton Antivirus

How We Review

Product Specs

Virus Detection	Yes
Malware Detection	Yes
Firewall	Yes
On-demand Scanning	Yes
On-access Scanning	Yes
Behavior-based monitoring	Yes

View Plans Links to Norton Antivirus

Mobile Device Protection At Its Finest

Norton has been protecting computers for decades. But these days, it’s one of the best antivirus apps for smartphones. You might not believe you need antivirus protection on your mobile but think about it. They store a lot of personal information and are always connected to the internet. So, smartphones are just as susceptible to malware and hacking as anything else.

>> Also Read: What To Do When Your Phone Has Been Hacked

Norton’s mobile apps are easy to navigate and use. You can activate widgets to scan your phone on demand, but you can also turn on real-time protection to stop malware and other types of attacks as they happen. Those other types of attacks can include malicious ads (known as adware), hacking, and ransomware, thanks to additional features such as a VPN.

We also like that Norton has family-oriented features. You can, for example, install its apps on your kids’ phones to blacklist dangerous and inappropriate websites. And with its top-tier offering, you can also manage your kids’ screen times.

4. McAfee Antivirus - The Most Complete Cybersecurity Software

SecurityScore:

8.8 /10

View Plans Links to McAfee Antivirus

How We Review

Product Specs

Virus Detection	Yes
Malware Detection	Yes
Firewall	Yes
On-demand Scanning	Yes
On-access Scanning	Yes
Behavior-based monitoring	Yes

View Plans Links to McAfee Antivirus

Multiple Digital Safety Tools In One App

McAfee showed us one of the most comprehensive digital safety tools in the market with its McAfee+ Ultimate package. Besides McAfee’s reputable antivirus software, it included a VPN, password manager, and even identity monitoring – the same identity protection features we see from identity theft protection services. In fact, McAfee is also one of our top-pick identity protection services.

Given the comprehensiveness of the McAfee+ Ultimate package, though, it’s understandably pricier than other options such as Surfshark. A one-year subscription costs $199. It’s almost four times more expensive than the one year Surfshark One plan, which is only about $55. That’s not even McAfee’s real price yet, because it offers lowered introductory prices. Once your first year is up, you’d have to renew your subscription for $279.99. That’s something to keep in mind in the long run.

Fortunately, there are cheaper but less comprehensive options from McAfee. Here’s a quick rundown of their first-year prices.

5. Bitdefender Antivirus - The Best Antivirus Software for Malware Detection

SecurityScore:

8.7 /10

View Plans Links to Bitdefender Antivirus

How We Review

Product Specs

Virus Detection	Yes
Malware Detection	Yes
Firewall	Yes
On-demand Scanning	Yes
On-access Scanning	Yes
Behavior-based monitoring	Yes

View Plans Links to Bitdefender Antivirus

Impressive Malware Detection

Bitdefender’s ability to detect malware impressed us, as it found all five pieces of malware we hid in our computer when we tested it. And mind you, we hid them so well that only two of the 40 antiviruses we tested found all of them. The other one besides Bitdefender was Kaspersky, but read our Kaspersky review to find out why it fell out of contention.

Anyway, Bitdefender’s impressive malware detection paired well with its real-time protection feature. One of the viruses we tried to hide from Bitdefender was inside a .zip archive, but the moment we tried to extract everything in it, Bitdefender immediately stepped in. Nothing gets past it, which is why it’s our pick for malware detection.

6. Trend Micro Antivirus - The Best Antivirus Software for Web Protection

SecurityScore:

8.6 /10

View Packages Links to Trend Micro Antivirus

How We Review

Product Specs

Virus Detection	Yes
Malware Detection	Yes
Firewall	Yes
On-demand Scanning	Yes
On-access Scanning	Yes
Behavior-based monitoring	Yes

View Packages Links to Trend Micro Antivirus

Online Malware Protection

Trend Micro can do it all. It prevents malicious files from getting onto your device, flags suspicious websites to reduce fraud, and defends your computer from ransomware and other potential attacks.

Our favorite feature was the “firewall booster” which complements the built-in firewall of Windows devices. Trend Micros is configured to stop botnets, which are designed to steal data, send spam, and let attackers access devices and connections.

The app also comes with an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) and lets you manually block incoming or outgoing traffic from certain programs. We tested it on a video game we downloaded directly from a website. The game wanted to connect to the internet, but we decided to stay offline just to be safe. We performed this action through Trend Micro so it could monitor for any suspicious activity.

That feature coupled with malware detection gives Trend Micro a high chance of blocking off malware and harmful programs.

7. Avast Antivirus - The Best Antivirus Software for Mac

SecurityScore:

8.5 /10

View Plans Links to Avast Antivirus

How We Review

Product Specs

Virus Detection	Yes
Malware Detection	Yes
Firewall	Yes
On-demand Scanning	Yes
On-access Scanning	Yes
Behavior-based monitoring	Yes

View Plans Links to Avast Antivirus

User-Friendly Malware Protection for Mac

It’s a common misconception that Macs don’t need antivirus software; they do. The built-in macOS antivirus is far from foolproof, so it’s best supplemented by a third-party antivirus. And if you’re looking for one for your Macbook or iMac, might we recommend Avast?

Avast is part of the same group as Norton, AVG, and Avira. That’s pretty good company. Like these top brands, Avast protects devices from everything from malware to ransomware. It even comes with a VPN like Total AV and Surfshark.

However, the reason we picked Avast for macOS is the user experience. Avast’s macOS app is streamlined to the point that it sometimes feels like it was designed specifically for Macs. We didn’t have to deal with complex navigations or cluttered controls – everything was laid out neatly for us in the homescreen. If that’s what you want from your Mac antivirus, then definitely consider Avast.

8. ESET Antivirus - The Best Antivirus Software for Windows

SecurityScore:

8.4 /10

View Packages Links to ESET Antivirus

How We Review

Product Specs

Virus Detection	Yes
Malware Detection	Yes
Firewall	Yes
On-demand Scanning	Yes
On-access Scanning	Yes
Behavior-based monitoring	Yes

View Packages Links to ESET Antivirus

Best Protection for Windows

ESET NOD32 and its trademark picture of a human-like robot has been a common sight in Windows computers for decades. And there’s a reason why it’s a preferred Windows antivirus for many (including ourselves). Although NOD32’s features were basic compared to the other security suites offered by ESET, it’s a sturdy and trustworthy antivirus that reliably detected malware, adware, spyware, and ransomware. In fact, in our virus detection test, NOD32 scored a solid four out of five. That’s better than more than half of the other antivirus software we tested. Aside from that, ESET directly integrated a scanning feature into our Windows email apps, namely Live Mail and Outlook. The scan looked for suspicious attachments and prevented us from opening them. Being on the receiving end of countless email chains from co-workers and friends, this was a feature we really appreciated.

9. Vipre Antivirus - The Best Antivirus Software for Android

SecurityScore:

8.3 /10

How We Review

Product Specs

Virus Detection	Yes
Malware Detection	Yes
Firewall	With Advanced Security and Ultimate Security versions
On-demand Scanning	Yes
On-access Scanning	Yes
Behavior-based monitoring	Yes

Android Security Like No Other

Vipre offers antivirus and device security solutions for Windows, Mac, and iOS, but its Android security solution really stood out. Aside from the usual virus protection that Android antivirus apps provide, the Vipre Android Security app included features we typically don’t see in other Android antivirus apps. For starters, the Autopilot feature acted as our security advisor, letting us know of potential weaknesses in our Android settings. The app also allowed us to lock some apps, like our photo gallery, so that only we can access them using our fingerprints. And aside from digital security, Vipre provided our Android phones physical security. The Snap Photo feature, in particular, snapped a front camera picture of anyone who tried and failed to unlock our phones.